Propeller for boats.



No. 802,602. PATENTED 06124:, 1905. H. S. SBARLE.

PROPELLER FOR BOATS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 9, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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No. 802,602. PATENTED 001224, 1905. H. S. SEARLE.

PROPELLER FOR BOATS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 9, 1904.

2 SHEBTSSHEET 2.

NlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PROPELLER' FOR BOATS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1905.

Application filed July 9, 1904. Serial No. 215,923.

To (all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERMAN S. SEARLE, of Rochester, in the county ofMonroe and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Propellers for Boats, which improvement is fully set forth in thefollowing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to boat propulsion by means of revolving paddles,the invention being an improved paddle-propeller to be attached at thesides of the boat.

The main object of the invention is to construct the paddles so as toturn in their respective bearings in the shaft and to provide simplemeans for turning them automatically at intervals on their axes as theyare collectively carried around by the revolving shaft to cause theblades of the paddles to alternately present their faces and their edgesto the Water.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out andmade to appear in the following specification and the constructionparticularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, which, with the reference characters markedthereon, form a part of the specification.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved paddle-propeller. Fig. 2 isan end view of the rigid boxing for the shaft, seen as indicated byarrow 2 in Fig. 1, the shaft and the paddles being omitted. Fig. 3 is anend view of the propeller, seen as indicated by arrow 2 in Fig. 1. Fig.1 is a side elevation of parts near the outer end of a boxing, a partbeing axially sectional and broken away. Figs. 5 to 8 are sideelevations of the paddle-head and parts of the boxing occupyingdifferent relative positions, parts being omitted and one paddlecross-sectioned near the boxing. Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a part ofthe shaft and associated parts, the boxing and a part of the paddle-headbeing in longitudinal axial sec tion and parts broken away. Fig. 10 is asimilar side elevation of the shaft and other parts, the paddle beingshown in a relatively difi'er ent position from that shown in Fig. 9.Fig. 11 is an end view of the propeller with parts broken away, thepaddle-head being transversely sectioned through the axes of the paddleson the dotted line 11 11 in Fig. 8. Fig.

12 shows an outline plan of a boat with my improved propellers attachedin place thereon.

Figs. 1, 3, and 12 are drawn to scales smaller than those of the otherfigures.

Referring to the parts shown, A is a hollow cylindrical or tubularmetallic body constituting a holder or boxing for the inclosed revolvingpaddle-shaft B.

C, Figs. 1 and 3, represents a series of independentpaddles held orcarried by the shaft B to overhang the end of the boxing A, as shown,the paddles being mounted radially in an enlarged part or head 6 of theshaft. Two or more of these boxings, in pairs, each boxing with itsshaft and set of paddles, are employed on a boat D, as shown in Fig. 12.The boxings are placed horizontally in the hull or body of the boat withtheir ends projecting a short distance from the sides of the boat, theaxes of the boxings being in vertical planes at right angles with theaxis of the longitudinal center line of the hull. In mounting theseboxings they are made rigid with the body of the boat and so placed onthe two sides of the boat that the boxings of each pair in transverselines shall be opposite and coaxial, as shown.

The paddles C are designed to turn intermittently on their respectiveaxes in their bearings a in the heads I) of the various shafts B, eachpaddle turning at each movement through an angle of ninety degrees.These intermittent axial motions of the paddles in their bearings arefor the purpose of causing the blades on of the paddles to successivelypresent their broadsides and their edges to the water as the shafts arerevolved, these relative positions of the paddles being clearly shown inFigs. 1 and 3. The axes of the pad dles are in a plane at right angleswith the shaft B, and the manner of holding the spindles 0 of thepaddles by the head I) so as to turn therein is clearly shown in Figs. 9and 11. The bearings (Z of the spindles in the head are preferably madeslightly tapering, though this is not essential to the invention, thespindles being held to place in the head or prevented from movinglongitudinally out of the head by some convenient and wellknown means,as screw-nuts a threaded onto their extreme inner ends, as shown. \Vhilethese nuts do not interfere with easy axial motions of the spindles intheir hearings in the head, they prevent the paddles becoming detachedfrom the shaft B. For the purpose of automatically turning the spindlesin their hearings in the head 6 as the shaft B revolves the outer end ofthe boxingA is formed with an expanded part or bell f, comprising a pairof circular concentric ring-sections g 21, divided or terminated byradial openings or channels is It. (See Fig. 2.) Within the ringsectiong is a supporting ring-section h of rectangular cross-section, as shown,aiding to stiffen said ring-section 9. Within the ringsections M thebell f of the boxingAis formed with a plain annular surface Z at rightangles with the axis of the boxing, the ring-sections g and 2'projecting equally longitudinally beyond this surface, as appears inFig.4. The low ringsection it is in one piece with the outer heavyring-section g and projects longitudinally from the surface Z only abouthalf the distance, as shown. The outer and inner radii of thering-section it are equal to the corresponding radii of the ring-sectiond, the outer radius of the latter ring-section being equal to the innerradius of the ring-section g, these matters being clearly shown in Figs.2 and 4. hen the shaft Bis in place in the boxing A, the inner annularsurface of the head Z) meets the equal annular surface 5 of the boxing,the head filling the circular space within the opposing ring-sections 7L6, as appears in Figs. 3 and 11, all the ring-sections overhanging theadjacent part of the head.

Each paddle-spindle c is formed with a pair of short projectingrectangular bars or spurs n 0, adjacent and crossing each other at rightangles, the planes of the spurs being at right angles with the axis ofthe spindle. The inner spur 0 of each pair rests against the convexsurface of the paddle-head b and is opposite the ring-section 2', whilethe outer spur n is opposite the outer ring-section g, as clearlyappears in Figs. 9, 10, and 11. As the shaft B is revolved in the boxingthe projecting ends of the spurs successively encounter the ends of thering-sections g 2', respectively, which cause the spindles to turnthrough quarter-revolutions at each movement, causing the blades m ofthe paddles C to present their flat faces or their edges to the water,as the case may be. This intermitted turning of the paddles, with theirblades, in their seats in the head 5 will be readily understood byinspecting Figs. 5 to 8, inclusive.

Fig. 5 shows the position of the parts relative with the boxing A whenthe paddle is broadside to the water and doing duty, one end of theouter spur n overlapping the ringsection 2' and the side of the innerspur 0 bearing evenly against the face of the ring-section The turningof the shaft will bring the outer spur n against the end of theringsection 9, causing the spindle to turn in the head Z), as indicatedin Fig. 6, the parts finally taking the positions shown in Fig. 7 Inthese relative positions of the parts the blade of the paddle isedgewise to the water and performing no service, the spindle having beenturned through a one-fourth revolution,

with the long side of the spur 92 evenly against the face of thering-section g. In this position of the paddle one projecting end of theinner spur 0 is in under the ring-section g and moving in the annularspace Within it, this position of the spurs relative with the parts ofthe bell f being clearly shown in Fig. 9. A continued revolving of theshaft will cause the approaching covered end of the inner spur 0 toencounter the end of the ringsectiont' and again turn the spindle, asappears in Fig. 8, it finally assuming the original position shown inFig. 5, the paddle being again brought into position of service, with along edge or side of the spur 0 resting fiat against the face of thering-section vi. The continuous revolving of the paddle-shaft in theboxing will cause all the paddles to be turned, as described, as theyare brought in succession around to the openings k, dividing thering-sections g 71, causing each paddle to alternately present its faceand its edge to the Water.

Whether there are two or more of the openings A: through thering-sections g h 2 is not essential to this invention, nor is itmaterial to the invention as to what points or places in the revolutionsof the paddles they are caused to turn on their axes to beat the wateror cut idly through it, these being matters depending upon circumstancesand to be determined by the judgment of the manufacturer or user. Theessential idea as to this feature of the invention is to at such timesand in such manner shift the paddles that they will yield the bestresults from the power consumed. It is, further, clearly not essentialto this invention that any given number of paddles be associated with asingle shaft B. Four, more or less, may be employed, four being shown inthe drawings as a matter of convenience.

Nor is it essential to the invention that the paddle-shafts B berevolved by any particular means. I have shown sprockets E on the innerends of the shafts to be turned by chains in some manner that is commonand well known in this class of machinery. It is designed to have theconstruction such that the propellers at the two sides of the boat maybe driven independently, so to be turned simultaneously in oppositedirections for the purpose of swinging the boat around, as it were, upona central vertical axis.

lVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

l. A propeller for boats, comprising a rotatory shaft, a series ofpaddles carried thereby the axes of the paddles being radial and in aplane at right angles to the axis of the shaft, a shaft-casing havingits outer end formed with an expanded part with a pair of circularconcentric ring-sections divided by radial openings and a supportingring-section within one of said sections and the other formed with aplain annular, surface, and

soaeoa spurs crossing each other at right angles on the spindles of thepaddles adapted to overlap the supporting ring-section and to cooperatewith said ring-sections and said radial openings.

2. A propeller for boats, comprising a rotatory shaft, a series ofpaddles carried thereby the axes of the paddles being radial and in aplane at right angles to the axis of the shaft, the paddle-spindlesbeing support-ed solely at their inner ends by the said shaft, ashaft-casing having its outer end formed with an expanded part with apair of circular concentric ring-sections divided by radial openings anda supporting ring-section within one of said sections and the otherformed with a plain annular surface, and spurs crossing each other atright angles on the spindles of the paddles adapted to overlap thesupporting ring-section and to cooperate with said ring-section and saidradial openings.

3. A propeller for boats, comprising a rotatory shaft, a series ofpaddles carried thereby the axes of the paddles being radial and in aplane at right angles to the axis of the shaft, the paddle-spindlesbeing supported solely at their inner ends by the said shaft, ashaft-casing having its outer end formed with an expanded part with apair of circular concentric ring-sections divided by radial openings anda supporting ring-section within one of said sections and the otherformed with a plain annular surface, said shaft having an enlarged headabutting said plane surface within said enlargement of the casing.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, this 7th day of July,190%, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses;

HERMAN S. SEARLE.

Witnesses:

ENOS B. WHITMORE, MINNIE SMITH.

